The creative team behind Community may not know when its upcoming Season 4 will start, but it is certain that all Human Beings will want to see the various fates that await Greendale’s beloved duos (romantic, bromantic or otherwise).

Here, TVLine chats with the quirky NBC comedy’s new executive producers David Guarascio and Moses Port about what Senior Year has in store for the study group, including potential attractions new and old, the second coming of Chang, Annie’s life dilemma and much more.

TVLINE | Now that you’re settled in and well into production, how are you guys feeling about the new season?DAVID GUARASCIO | So far, so good! We’re shooting our seventh episode this week, and we’re anxious to get to our premiere date. It’s been fun.

TVLINE | Were you able to start fresh-ish given that Season 3 wrapped things up to an extent?GUARASCIO | We’re definitely not picking up [the season] like this is something new. Each season has stayed true to [it being] the first day in another year of college, so we just approached it that way. Some of the things that were maybe set in motion through last season — particularly in the last episode — we wanted to pull through into the season to keep the continuity as much as possible. It’s taking Troy and Britta having a relationship one step further; it’s Jeff continuing the pursuit of his father, which we get to in our Thanksgiving episode; and it’s Abed trying to deal with the notion of change in our senior year… So, we just mostly looked at it not as a new starting point, but as a point of continuation.

TVLINE | Is there one overarching theme this year?GUARASCIO | Part of it was connected to last year, which is, “OK, now that you’ve had to grow, how do you manage your life from what your learned?” So, that informs Season 4. But particularly the notion that takes place when you don’t necessarily have control over things — and that plays into the real-life universe of the show, with [creator] Dan [Harmon] leaving and us coming in. When you’re in the middle of college, there’s no beginning and there’s no end; you’re in a bit of a bubble, where the real world falls away. And then you get to the end toward your senior year — which some of our characters are in this year — and the reality of what comes next can be exciting at times and frightening at times, so that notion of change and everything must come to an end eventually — hopefully not too soon [Laughs] — plays into the overall theme this year.

TVLINE | You mentioned at Comic-Con that some, but not all, of the study group would graduate. Is that still the plan?GUARASCIO | Yeah, but we’re holding the ending very close to our vest for now, as far as what we have planned. [Laughs] But Greendale is sort of the last member of the study group in that sense, so the campus will always be an important part of the show. We don’t want that to ever change.MOSES PORT | Even though there’s a nod to the fact that life has to happen beyond school, we’ve realized that we can move slower and not push them out the door. [The Simpsons‘] Maggie Simpson should be college right now, but she’s in diapers still. [Laughs]GUARASCIO | It’s not that we’re putting the brakes on moving them forward throughout their collegiate experience this year; we just think we can navigate it while keeping Greendale very much alive.

TVLINE | Let’s talk character arcs. How will Jeff finally meeting his estranged father impact him?GUARASCIO | The absence of Jeff’s dad has been something that’s really informed who he is over many years, particularly the last few. So, the way that we’re approaching it is that it’s a big thing for him to meet his father, but maybe the real surprise is how it impacts him afterward. When you’ve been so defined by this relationship and now you’ve finally confronted it, there may be some ways that it changes him that are unexpected to him.

TVLINE | Are there any developments on the Jeff/Annie front?GUARASCIO | This is the year of change and [of] there being some maturity for everyone in the group, so in some ways the relationships get more complicated than they were before. Troy and Britta are taking a step forward as a couple, but one of the things that always kept Jeff and Britta apart is the fact that he’s a guy with all of these walls — maybe meeting his dad helps take some of those walls down? And what does that mean for Troy and Britta’s relationship? What does it mean possibly for Jeff and Britta? Of course, it’s also going to affect Jeff and Annie, too. So, it’s a little bit more of a complicated stew going on this year that we’ll see going forward.

TVLINE | Will Annie have her own journey this season?GUARASCIO | Annie, in her controlling nature, has a very clear outline for her own future, and now that she’s getting that much closer to it, she may make a discovery that what she had mapped out for herself isn’t quite as gratifying as she thought it was going to be. We could see her make some big shifts in what she’s planning for herself… How’s that for vague? [Laughs]

TVLINE | Britta really came into her own last year. Can we expect more of the same from the psych major?GUARASCIO | She definitely feels like she has found herself with her focus on psychology, so we do continue that this year and bring her deeper into it. The thing about Britta is that her passion, when she’s really focused on something, can be intense and she gets teased a lot by everyone in the group for digging in as deep as she does. But we’re going to see some real positive effects of it this year. Britta’s really entwined with Jeff’s journey toward meeting his dad and figuring out those issues, which is an emotionally complicated thing to get into with a friend… It’s an interesting time to go through everything with Jeff while she’s actually dating Troy.PORT | There’s a lot of emotional messiness that makes it the perfect time for Britta to be interested in psychology.

TVLINE | What is Pierce’s path this season?GUARASCIO | What’s interesting about Pierce is that while everyone is thinking about the change of ending college and then the next step in their lives, Pierce’s next big change is… much more final. [Laughs] So, in that sense, his is an existential crisis where he’s facing something much darker and deeper.

TVLINE | Quick — describe his bound-to-be-unique mansion.PORT | It’s like a tomb from the ’80s. It’s like, is it a disaster area or is it art from the ’80s? [Laughs] It’s just a weird crossover that fits perfectly.GUARASCIO | If Anne Rice and David Lee Roth had a baby and then they ate it and then they threw it up… [Laughs]

TVLINE | Are Troy and Abed still the best friends we know and love? And are there plans to introduce a romantic interest for the Cougar Town fiend?GUARASCIO | Abed and Troy’s relationship faces some new obstacles because they’re both growing and maturing — particularly Troy, as is represented by his relationship with Britta. But in some ways, Troy and Abed will always be the most stable relationship to the show and a window into what’s possible in this world when two people just really care about each other. Abed really is the person who created the world of Community in bringing the study group together in the pilot. So, it weighs on him more than anyone that this actually might be ending in a way that he can’t control. That will force him to think about — in very baby steps — maybe going through some changes of his own. And that may be reflected somewhat in a relationship with someone outside the group.

TVLINE | If need be, will the season’s 13th episode also work as a fitting series ender? GUARASCIO | Whatever last episode we air this year, we want to be satisfying as a season ender and series ender. We’ll hear about more episodes before we shoot 13, so if we do get some more, we can plan for it. Let’s say we have a finale in mind now, and we find out soon enough if we get to make more; we can then slot them in and just move those over a little bit. The trick will be finding a way that it feels like we’re organically building toward the end. It’s a little tricky, but it’s the situation.

Um, Im saying that I know I should diss the show cause of a ‘possible romance’ cause thats not what the show is about, but unfortunately I cant stand Jeff/Britta and will be forced to even if its some small part of the plot.

Ditto. Whenever I’ve said I don’t like J/B everyone always thinks I’m a J/A fan but I’m not. I can tolerate J/A because I think they have some semblance of romantic chemistry but J/B should only ever stay friends. They work like that. They don’t work as anything more.

Agreed! Sorry but there is nothing worse than a Jeff Britta pairing, zero chemistry and they have already moved so far beyond them. The Quickie last season did nothing for me!!!! Jeff/ Annie way better.

If anything it makes Community that much more complex and unique. But I liked Jeff and Annie and where that was going…is anyone else feeling a different energy this season, like no one making the show is confident in it? I’m nervous

I’m with you. I don’t care for Jeff and Britta. They don’t have chemistry, that’s why they veered off that path in season one. Why do we keep going back to something that doesn’t work? And while I’m happy with Britta and Troy dating (they have great chemistry), I don’t want the show to become all about relationships. That’s what made it an unconventional comedy. It didn’t play into those sitcom tropes.

no disrespect at all but i seen all the episodes, i did not sense any chemistry between britta and troy, and i know that attempted in showing that there was but i didnt feel it, and their dating is just plain boring, i think they are a lame couple, i think everyone was at best when they were single.

Even while troy and britta date, Troy still seems like he’s more in love with Abed and Britta still seems to be having an ongoing growing interest with Jeff.
And if at most when ever i sensed some real chemistry was when britta and jeff hooked up during the first paint ball game, but that was the closest thing i felt for chemistry from any couple’s in that show.
I am not saying i approve of jeff and britta dating, i just think they’re all at best when they are just friends.

Lol the show is about a group of human beings and how they get along and interact and the RELATIONSHIPS between them. Every show with people is about relationships. And this show has single women and single men in it, it would be insanely un-realistic to think they wouldn’t mingle or hook up or date each other. Since the pilot the show has been about Jeff wanting Britta, thats why he joined the study group!
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Every TV show has the right to have shippers. I personally like Jeff with both, though iv always thought it really weird Annie being 20 ish and him 34ish when they first made out. I always liked Jeff and Britta most, assuming they could get their walls down and actually connect emotionally. I like Annie and Troy better for Annie, and i cant wait for some awesome/weird chick to come along and want Abed.

Not here for Jeff/Britta. It’s been done and I’m over it. Interested to see how Troy and Britta are in relationships. Also interested to see how the entire study group deals with some of their friends graduating. Also really hoping it gets a back 9 and moves to Animal Practice’s if/when that gets cancelled. I want my Community back!

Ugh, PLEASE no Jeff/Britta. I totally loved the fact in a rare television occurrence, the writers let the story organically shift from what they had likely originally planned (from JB to JA + TB) because the chemistry was better and the story more interesting. We don’t need to do Jeff/Britta, I just really don’t see anything appealing there!

If Jeff/Britta comes back I am officially DONE with this show. Their romance was endlessly irritating in season 1 and I just don’t buy it. They are only doing it because that’s what Harmon wanted. Gross.

I agree that the show is and should not be primarily about ‘ships. I’d be happy if the series end was ambiguous, as long as we knew the group would stay friends. That said, the Jeff/Annie seemed so forced that it made me uncomfortable last season, so it’s nice to know there’s some hope it’s not endgame.

WHAT?! How can you put Annie in Jeff’s heart and then end up with a Jeff & Britta romance? It makes no sense. If they want Britta to help Jeff with his Dad, fine, but don’t make it romantic. Please. Poor Troy. I was really excited for my show coming back but now I’m just bummed. I hate Jeff & Britta together.

Exactly. And the one thing that was real in there (there’s something real in there, maybe that’s what scares you) was Annie. I think J/B fans are the ones who can’t tell the difference between love and lust.

Oh great. Just what I wanted to read this morning. Looks like Annie is getting all the leftover stories. As for Jeff and Britta, I don’t even know how they’re going to make that a believable romance after Jeff looked like he was in love with Annie in season 3. Why couldn’t the show be original for once and leave the J/B relationship as it was? They were attracted to each other, hooked up for a while but realized it didn’t work. That stuff happens. Jeff and Britta as a romantic pairing just annoys me. I love Troy and Britta so much.

Troy and Britta are an embarrassment. Look at how they destroyed Britta’s character over the past season just to make it not completely unbelievable! Jeff at least understands her. Bring on Jeff and Britta!

They didn’t destroy Britta’s character. She’s evolved into the person she really is. Season 1 Britta had all these emotional walls up and was afraid to show who she really was. But 3 years later she has become more secure in the study group and herself as a person and is finally comfortable showing all sides of her personality. Her real self. She can be tough and mature and stupid and silly and still be Britta Perry. She’s the most evolved, complex character I’ve ever seen on television. If you can’t see that, well I can’t help you.

How does a member of the Peace Corps say something like ‘Stalin back in Russia times’? She hasn’t evolved, she’s lost her brain. She may be unafraid to show all sides of her personality but that doesn’t mean that she needs to be half as intelligent as she was at the beginning of the show. People gain knowledge over time, they don’t lose it.

That’s the whole point of her character! She’s a complex hypocritical contradiction! She may have been a member of the peace corps but she probably went into that not fully realizing what that meant. She did it because she thought she had to. I admit sometimes they sacrifice character for the funny (they do this with Jeff and Annie and Troy too) but on the whole, Britta has not lost her brain.

Jeff and Britta as friends YES, I think they’re awesome like that and have moved past the whole relationship stuff that didn’t work, it was refreshing from what shows usually do with sticking with pilot couples…but ugh not again, sounds boring. One of the new guys admitted to being a Jeff/Britta shipper so this is not looking good…More importantly though, I hope the show as a whole is still great. *cautiously optimistic*

Agreed. I think Jeff and Britta as friends are incredible. They hold no punches with each other and are really alike, as much as they’d hate to admit it. I personally think if they’re going to pair Jeff up with anyone it should be Annie. They’ve been building that since early season 1 and you could argue that Annie’s had more impact on Jeff wanting to be a better person than anyone else in the group.

I agree. I think for Jeff, either Annie or no one from the study group once the show ends. But I have a feeling they are going the ‘Annie reassesses what she wants and realises she wasn’t in love with Jeff, she was young, she has matured, she’ll meet someone else etc etc’ which tbh, isn’t completely unrealistic for a young woman, it happens, but considering this is a show and they’ve clearly insinuated something between them for 3 seasons now, they need to wrap it up or put them together.

Agreed so much! J/B are so good as friends now! I love their friendship. It’s one of my favorites on the show. But to mess it up with romance? Romance that they never even had in the first place is just SO WRONG! Why can’t they leave it as it is?

I agree with and support this comment :D.
As for the show itself, wow, okay, lots to digest here. Things I’m definitely excited about: the storyline with Jeff’s dad, Troy and Abed changing and trying to keep their friendship intact, and Pierce dealing with something “darker and deeper” that was alluded to here. All of those things I’m interested in seeing play out.
As for the Jeff/Britta/Annie/Troy thing, I don’t have a specific preference or ship, I think there’s been great chemistry among any two of the four people over the years, so I’m fine with the show continuing to explore just how intimate or platonic all those people’s relationships will be. The article doesn’t state specifically that anyone’s going to actually hook up as a regular couple, it seems more like it’s going to be old feelings resurfacing and potential “moments” between everyone right now, so I don’t think there’s a need to freak out just yet. But whatever happens, I hope the show does deal with the relationships in a mature way-I agree with a comment below about Annie being in her 20s now and being treated like an adult. Since this is the last year of college for some, and since people may be parting ways, be it temporarily or permanently, at the end of this season, it makes sense that everyone needs to start acting like grownups on the relationship front. So as long as that happens, I’m okay with whatever else goes on.
Right now the thing I care the most about is knowing when the show will actually return to my television. Damn you, NBC *Shakes fist angrily*!

I love Jeff/Britta as friends but romantically? No. I’m a huge J/A fan so this news made my heart sink in a pretty epic way. However, I love this show too damn much to stop watching it so I’m here to the bitter end, even if it might feel like they’ve pulled out my heart and stomped on it. *sigh* Oh well.

I don’t get the Troy/Britta relationship, doesn’t make sense to me. But then the whole show doesn’t make sense, so I guess it works. I think Britta and Jeff deserve each other. Annie definitely deserve someone better than Jeff.

Is it necessary to have any romance on this show? I never cared for any of the “couples” they’ve tried to throw at me. As long as it’s funny, I’ll watch. If people gave up watching when they didn’t like a relationship, How I Met Your Mother would have been cancelled a long time ago.

I love Britta, I really do, she’s awesome, but can’t we just keep her away from Jeff? I mean, she has moved on, she’s starting something with Troy, why ruin it by bringing the whole Jeff/Britta thing again?????????
Also, Jeff has moved on, during the entire season 3 we’ve seen that the one he has feelings for is Annie! So we’ve seen 3 seasons of Jeff and Annie getting closer and now that’s it?
I couldn’t careless for a Jeff-Britta-Troy love triangle. I don’t need a love triangle, this is Community, not HIMYM!
I was upset because Community didn’t have a premiere date, now I don’t care anymore.
Nice way to ruin a good show!

I think this news would scare any community fan no matter who you ship cause it sounds like they arent making a show for the fans anymore rather than the network because community hasnt been a show bout romance its been a show bout friendship so may to ruin it showrunners
Sidenote they wrote a terrible pilot for the American IT crowd n are potential doing what they did on tht with community why does anyone hire their asses

Just to be clear, I watched the American IT crowd pilot. It was almost ALL of the same jokes from the UK pilot, except for one line. One. The problem wasn’t in the writing, it was in the pilot.
But I’ll agree that this show isn’t about relationships, and if they do this season wrong, it could really, REALLY suck.

I’m not sure how I feel about this piece of news. I agree with a lot of people, if they start focusing on the romantic relationships it changes the tone of the show. I really like the idea of Jeff and Annie, but if it’s going to change the chemistry of the group maybe they should pair them with people outside the group.

I don’t like the JB news but more importantly WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO ANNIE? Saying her relationship with Jeff was partly in her head? Are they for real? Season 3 proved that wasn’t the case. Jeff lied in paradigms to save his ass. I’m sick of Annie being used as some pathetic childish pawn in this show. She’s a mature nearly 22 year old woman. Start f**** treating her like one.

Man I really want to punch someone at NBC for delaying this. Whats the point of a Halloween or Thanksgiving episode if the damn show doesn’t air til January. I quit watching NBC until this comes on. Your other shows SUCK except for Parks and Rec. Even 30 Rock isn’t that good anymore. And the Office, please just end that abortion.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! (Annie’s scream). The problem of this show are not ships, but how they’re creating and re-creating the ships! It’s all a big mess and if they put J/B together AGAIN, after all the Britta/Troy relationship, it will be worst. If you don’t wanna make a show about ships’, please don’t change “Community” in a soap opera!

It was clear to anyone that J/B didn’t work so they change the pairings, and it was good. But if you want J/B together, why mess up the things with the kiss between Annie and Jeff and all the B/T relationship?

Dear god, if there’s any romance within the group no matter how unpleasing any of that sounds, the endgame should be Jeff and Britta.

I’m opposed to any romantic and longing glances to this show within the study group in general (besides Dean and Jeff :D), but if it has to happen, Jeff and Britta all the way along with Annie and Troy to complete this love square.

I don’t really know what to make of this news. I’ve never liked Britta and Troy together. Their scenes always feel awkward and forced, as if the writers were writing an idea rather than two characters. At the same time, I like Britta and Jeff…just not sure I like them as a romantic couple. I didn’t care for them when the show started out, but I’ve loved their dynamic for the past two seasons. So I’ll take what I can get.

Also, I love how people constantly bring up the age difference between Jeff/Annie and then go on to support Britta/Troy. You guys do realize that she’s 10 years his senior, right? So Jeff is 13 years older than Annie and Britta is 10 years older than Troy. I didn’t realize 3 years makes all the difference between perversion and romance.

So the news for the day is: No scheduled return date for Community, which means we’re probably looking at a January or February return, no more Louie until 2014, and now this horrid idea of renewed romance between Jeff and Britta. Look, I can live without Jeff and Annie being a couple. While I think they have chemistry, it wouldn’t kill me if they weren’t together. But what I do need to see is more of Troy and Britta. I think they are great together, and I don’t want that messed with. Plus (my incredible crush on Joel McHale notwithstanding), the idea of Jeff and Britta as a couple makes me throw up a little in my mouth. [Sigh]. The world hates me today. I expect next to hear Parks and Rec will be going on an extended hiatus, because I am just not having good luck with my comedies.

Jeff and Britta didnt work because they had NO romantic or sexual chemistry and Dan Harmon handled their transition between sex and friendship so smoothly. No one anticipated sparks between Joel and Allison on screen and they quickly became fanfavorite without actually ever dating or consumating their feelings. Jeff and Britta is ALL KINDS OF WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG.

I forgot to add, I could live without Annie and Jeff actually ever getting together…its their will-they-wont-day tension that keeps viewers interested. Jeff and Britta AGAIN would kill that. Jeff and Britta romance is opposite of Batman.

What the hell is this? Jeff & Britta???? JEFF & BRITTA? ARE THEY FOR REAL? I thought that was well over in season 2! And even season 2 hardly had any J/B moments! I am in shock. This is the worst news ever for this show. I hate that pairing and won’t be watching if they go there.

Im not watching community this season. cannot STAND Jeff/Britta! HOW ARE THESE NEW GUYS doing this???? Didn’t they see Jeff/Annie moments last season?!?! so he’s suddenly forgotten about all of that and loves Britta now? Such crap.

ughhhhhhhhh, i’m hungry first NBC delays the season 4!!!!!!!!! second they say that the season will more focused on jeff and britta!!!!!!! I want annie and jeff it’s not complicated i am in a darkest timeline !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All these J/A fans clamoring to bash J/B, lolz. I’m pretty sure the mini-uproar isn’t going to sway TPTB into NOT writing more J/B into Community. For me, all the J/B news is a long time coming, and I’m so excited to see what happens. Even if J/B don’t end up as “endgame”, I’m just glad they’re going to be making more an impact on each others’ lives than what we saw in S3, when I thought they’d been forgotten.

More J/B, please! And if there’s romance in the cards between them for real this time….well, that’ll just make my life right there.

I am definitely looking forward to more of J/B. He and she are a better match in terms of maturity and station in life. I’m not against age difference…married a man 10 years my senior. But J/A have no chemistry. As for J/B, they have the intellectual connection that actually makes good, lasting couples. The J/A shippers tend to be the really young girls who are lusting to be Alison Brie’s shoes =D

Hahahaha Jeff & Annie will never be over. They can’t craft a believable J/B romance in 13 episodes when Britta is with Troy and Jeff and Annie’s story has been building steadily for three years. This whole article and it’s misleading heading is a joke.